YOU GUYS. How is it almost December? I feel like it was just summer! Every time I get used to one season or holiday, the next one already comes around.
In my preparation to face winter and a new set of holidays, I have had to think about what I’ll be featuring for Chanukah this year. I wanted recipes that were fun yet classic, delicious, beautiful, easy and FRIED!
So…
Pickle chicken with aioli sauce was born.
I know what some of you might be thinking. Pickles cooked with chicken?
I totally get it. But let me assure you, it doesn’t taste as wild as you might think. There won’t be any squinting, sour faces when eating it. I was actually more hopeful that it would have a stronger taste. Instead, brining the chicken in the juice simply makes it extra juicy, and lends a balanced flavor that is really nice if you want to mix things up a bit.
It’s not sour at all, trust me 😉
To bring out that subtle pickle flavor, I added fresh herbs and garlic to the breadcrumb mixture. And the aioli? It makes this dish wonderfully flavorful, well balanced and a total winner!
This recipe is embarrassingly easy. Like, SO easy.
You’re going to let the chicken sit in pickle juice overnight to soak up all those pickling flavors like mustard, dill and garlic. Then you’ll coat the chicken pieces in the egg and bread crumb mixture and fry them up (not deep fry)! On top of that goes a wonderful aioli made of fresh lemon juice, garlic, mayo, salt & pepper.
It’s so fun for the holiday, is really easy, and super yummy!
Oh yea, and all you really need to showcase these is a big white platter, a bunch of fresh herbs, and it’s ready for a party!
With recipes like this pickle chicken with aioli sauce (and others I will soon feature), I am most certainly ready, and excited for the new season. Bring on Chanukah!
Enjoy!
I added some pickles to my platter as garnish. To give my guests a clue as to what to expect 🙂
- 1.40 lb thin chicken breasts, skinless
- Kosher dill pickle juice from a 32 oz jar
- ½ cup panko, not seasoned
- ½ cup breadcrumbs, not seasoned
- 2 heaping tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
- 1 heaping tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
- 1 heaping teaspoon fresh garlic, minced (about 1 clove)
- Kosher salt, to taste (I used 1 teaspoon)
- Black pepper, to taste (I used ½ teaspoon)
- 1 egg
- Oil
- For the Aioli Sauce:
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, about 1 lemon
- 2 teaspoons fresh garlic, minced (about 1-2 cloves)
- Kosher salt, to taste
- Black pepper, to taste
- Line a large baking sheet with layers of paper towels. Set aside.
- Cut the chicken into medium size pieces/strips, place them in a large Ziploc bag, and pour in the pickle juice. Seal the bag, removing all of the air, and place in a shallow bowl. The juice should be enough to cover the chicken completely. Marinate in the refrigerator for 8 hours.
- Drain and dry the chicken, using paper towels; discard marinade. Remove all mustard seeds that might be left on the chicken, they are not edible.
- In a medium bowl mix together the panko, breadcrumbs, dill, parsley, garlic, salt and pepper.
- In a separate bowl beat the egg.
- Dip the chicken into the beaten egg, then into the breadcrumb mixture to coat. Shake off excess breadcrumbs.
- Heat a large skillet with enough oil to cover the surface of the pan. Once the pan is hot add in the chicken in batches.
- Fry until the chicken is cooked through and golden brown, about 2-3 minutes per side. Place the cooked chicken onto the prepared baking sheet to drain the excess oil.
- For the aioli sauce
- In a bowl mix together all the aioli ingredients until well blended.
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